Meet the Man Behind Flosstradamus

American DJ Curt Cameruci orders a horchata, which I find super endearing for some reason. Known for his explosive trap music and wild remixes, Cameruci currently performs under the name Flosstradamus. At a Flosstradamus show you can expect everything but an adorable cup of warm horchata, that is actually very appetizing on a chilly New York day. Cameruci is preparing to travel to Thailand, China and Indonesia for several wild shows before returning to the States to close out 2017.

From 2006 until late 2016, Flosstradamus consisted of Cameruci and Josh Young, until Young decided to pursue his own solo career. With twelve years of touring the globe, performing to hundreds of thousands of people, Cameruci began 2017 as a solo act.

“There were a lot of changes in my life this year,” he says. “Going into 2017, there was a lot of uncertainty. I didn’t know what was going to happen or how I felt or what I wanted to do. Going into 2018, I think I am the most confident I’ve ever been.” Looking back on his year of restructuring, Cameruci says he really focused on what they had been doing wrong in the past years and how to move forward.

“The rug got pulled out a little bit and it put me in fight or flight mode and I think I work best in those circumstances,” he says of Josh Young’s departure from Flosstradamus. With a constantly evolving brand, Flosstradamus has extended to apparel, a record label, a dedicated fanbase and of course, music. From designing the merchandise to creating the album artwork, Cameruci was always involved in all assets of the brand but this year, his role has expanded even further. As Cameruci explains to me what it was like to go from working with someone for 12 years to not, he can’t help but get metaphorical. “It’s like someone had a box of things and just shoved it at me. This year, I had to go through the box, figure it out and organize it,” he says with a laugh.

Not taking himself too serious has been a consistent theme throughout this year for Cameruci, who makes it a point to cheekily say, “Look, I’m wearing a button-down dress shirt, but it’s unbuttoned.” Since migrating towards the business-side of his brand, he has had to shift gears a bit, mentally. “When I get comfortable, I get uncomfortable. So, I’m trying to look at these new positions as inspiring and fun. It’s a whole new way to look at what I’ve been doing for the past 13 years,” he says.

The newest release from Flosstradamus is a track done with fellow DJ Dillon Francis called “Tern It Up.” “I’ve known Dillon for years. He used to hit me up on AOL Instant Messenger back in the day,” Cameruci says. “He’d send me songs and I still have them so I’ll troll him with them every once in a while,” he jokes. The song was released through Cameruci’s Instagram Advent Calendar, where he will be releasing music, announcing giveaways and more throughout the countdown to Christmas. The duo have been working together quietly for years, but never super seriously. After a three year tour together, Floss and Francis referred to themselves as “Dillstradamus” when they would perform together and it stuck. “We’ve made a bunch of music over the years and I think since we have such a good friendship, we never really took anything too serious,” he says. “We’re just friends, messing around.”

The song “Tern It Up” has been a work in progress for quite a while but finally, fans of Dillstradamus can actually turn up.